At the end of a week of parliamentary struggle, during which Besh Atid was criticized for giving up the filibusters and reaching agreements with the Likud - the chairman of the faction in the Knesset, MK Boaz Toporovsky, who is expected to serve as the center of the opposition, responds to the criticism in an interview with Israel Hayom.
For Toporovski, in regards to the establishment of the future coalition: "The fight is between people of freedom and those who want to be captives of extremists whose goal is to destroy the justice system, exclude women, harm the gay community, and many other destructive and polluting anti-democratic decrees."
Ben Gvir and Smotrich (archive) "The struggle is between people of freedom and those who want to be captives of extremists", photo: Yehuda Peretz
What is your problem with the Deri law, after all you also promoted a personal law - the defendant's law - and planned to form a government with Aryeh Deri?
"The laws we promoted were not retroactive, but from here on out. Regarding Deri, we said we would do what the court says. They want to make sure that the court does not say that he cannot be a minister. We would turn to the chairman of the Central Election Commission, and what he and the court would Determining about disgrace is what we would do.
We would never act like them."
What is the problem with amending the police order? Itamar Ben Gvir wants to outline a policy.
"His proposal reminds me of the Stasi in the East German Republic. There was a minister of internal security there who gave powers to the police. The same person who promoted the Stasi tried to carry out a coup a few years later, and failed. So I'm not saying it's the same, but I want to convey to the people Israel is my fear of this."
The Stasi acted against the opponents of the government. Do you think he will discriminate populations based on political support for him?
"I think not, but I think that when investigations and enforcement against the Givat boys - who are his base - come to him, he might be more flexible. Ben Gvir is creating a political arm with Jewish power, and now he wants powers over the police for the military arm. I don't want an army inside army and that such rioters have immunity. There are all kinds of processes here, including surrendering to the ultra-Orthodox, favoring certain populations and laws that will harm citizens to be a free people in their own country - as it is written in the anthem. These are decisions that are suitable for dictatorships and a banana republic."
It was convenient for you not to attack the ultra-orthodox, and in a different constellation you would have given them the same.
"There has never been in the history of the country such a surrender and blackmail agreement with the ultra-Orthodox. We would never have allowed them to have Avrach more subsidized than a student, and we would not have given them a blanket exemption from conscription. We would have reached agreements with them. Here Netanyahu gave them all their dreams, and their dreams are to transform Israel A little more to Iran."
Ben Gavir
Will make it easy on his base?, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Works against Elkin
According to Toporovsky, the opposition's strategy is mainly to expose the gaps between the partners in the coalition: "We established a central plan around the formation of the government, the main of which is to try to change the bad things in the legislation and to try to push Netanyahu to finish the mandate so that there will be pressure, because the longer the negotiations between them continue - the more the cracks between them We are divided and they are many."
And what after the establishment of the government?
"We are ready for filibusters, for white nights. We are preparing for them to continue to insult us in the committees and throw us out of the debates every five minutes. But we will come back, sit on their nerves. Nothing they do will go easily. We will also fight on the legal level and appeal to the High Court if necessary .
And we will also hold demonstrations in the field.
You are going to witness for the first time 'Likudniks' demonstrating with 'Yesh-Futurists'.
It's already happening."
The criticism of you is that you gave up the surprise effect in the filibuster. that you come to an agreement with them.
"We are loyal to our strategy to attract as many as possible, but we have to remember that they have a majority. We are not living in a movie. In the end they will form a government. But we are not in the six-day war, but in the war of attrition. Our goal is to widen the cracks between them and show the liberal Likud voters the steps their anti-liberals - so that it falls apart as quickly as possible."
Marev Michaeli says you present a spoiled opposition. Benny Gantz believes that protesting on bridges is not the way.
"I talked to her. Our decisions are not made alone, but with the cooperation of all the chairmen of the factions, including Efrat Raiten from the Labor Party. Michaeli threw it away without getting the explanation from her. After I explained it to her, she understood."
Gantz is negotiating positions in the opposition with the Likud and is bypassing you.
"Ganz and Michali are our political competitors. We are together on the essentials of the fight against the escalation clause and on other issues. I work against Elkin every day. Around the positions it's something else. The public will remember who led, and who did demonstrations and who didn't. I think it's a mistake that they are working against The Likud is on the positions, but that is their right. In the end, they will have to give an account to their voters."
Michaeli and Gantz.
"Political competitors", photo: Oren Ben Hakon
not condescending
It seems that Tibi and Ram are not with you in the struggle. How did it happen that Netanyahu was able to cooperate better with Tibi and you did not?
"First of all, Aida Toma Suleiman is constantly in the committees and fights with us. Ra'am is completely with us.
What happened with Tibi was that he didn't understand that reality had changed.
that if he makes a deal with Smotrich, then Ra'am explains to the Arab company that Tibi is making a deal with someone who calls him a terrorist and it was exposed, so he got angry."
Tibi said about you that you are arrogant.
"What arrogance? There is no arrogance. His guilt stems from the fact that his deal fell through, and it is his right to say what he wants. I do not smear him and respect him."
Are you in favor of primaries in Beish Atid?
"Personally, I am against it. Lapid managed to build a party where those who succeed and are around for a long time - he is the one who gets promoted. However, Lapid said he wants to gradually open the party to internal elections. I personally don't like it, but I respect his decision. I think I will be successful in the primaries, but it makes people act in an uncollegial and disloyal way."
torch.
"I'm loyal to him,"
What do you think of Ram Ben Barak's announcement that he will run against Lapid for the presidency of Yesh Atid? Will you support him?
"I am loyal to Yair Lapid and support him. It is Ram Ben Barak's right to announce, and nothing happened in the good sense. Lapid even jokes about it at faction meetings."
A point of failure of yours that you regret in the elections? Maybe because Meretz didn't pass?
"We are carrying out a very complex learning of lessons. In the matter of Meretz's unification and the work - I don't know what else we should have done, because Michaeli was so decisively against it."
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